What is the most commercially viable progamming language to learn?

Question

Is it Java or .Net ot Perl?

Answer 1

The most commercially viable programming language is C. C is the most commonly used programming language, it is architecture and platform independent (so you can work with Mac OS on ARMs, for example, if any such thing existed). If you want to get into game programming, you'll want to learn C++. I recommend learning C before C++ because the complex-seeming parts of C++ are obvious with intimate C knowledge.

.Net is not a programming language. It is a "platform" for developing [specifically] on Windows. Although, you can now use .Net on Linux (and possibly other UNIXish systems) thanks to Mono.

If you want the most commercially viable option of either Java or Perl, the answer is to learn both. Some companies use only Java, some use only Perl. (Most use more than just Java or Perl.) Some use both. So if you know one or the other, you are less valuable than if you know both. Also, knowing both indicates that you understand programming well enough to be able to apply concepts from one language to another -- most people who just take a class in one language do not have that.

If, however, you want to limit yourself to one or the other, I recommend Perl. The reason is because I personally don't like Java very much (although I love the language -- but my love for Perl is greater). With Perl, you can write straight-forward scripts or full programs, and make them take up a lot less space than a Java program. Additionally, you will be able to edit them between invocations without having to worry about recompiling it with the right options.
Also, I have found that jobs relying on Perl are a lot less stressful than the Java counterparts. The work environment is usually much more friendly. WIth Perl you might write 5 modules and 4 lines of code that do everything, but with Java, you're expected to write 2 dozen classes and driver code, and still handle all possible cases of user input (which, with the help of perl's regular expression engine, might be a matter of 20 characters in Perl).

Answer 2

C++ or C are still the main workhorses out there. I suggest learning both, since once you know those you can pick up pretty much anything else, including Java or C#. It's about logic and concepts, not about syntax.

(Cue the flames...)
Perl is pretty useless beyond toy problems and some web stuff. I don't suggest it as a first language or as a specialty.

Answer 3

Well, to start, .Net isn't a language. The language is C#.

So C# vs Java is the Microsoft yes/no choice - hard call to make really, as they both have avid fans and people who loathe them.

I suspect that C# whould give you a quicker route into employment, and Java might be more fun!

This is based on the UK IT market - ask someone else if you want the USA.

Answer 4

Depends actually. If you are into open source (Linux) you should study PHP, C and Python. These languages are totally free. If you are into Microsoft, Visual Studio .Net would be the ideal to study however this language is expensive but very practical for enterprise applications . Java is also open, free and applicable for Windows and Sun systems (safe to study especially if you are into enterprise programming).

Answer 5

I'd start with C/C++ or C# Once you understand object orientation and inheritance, the Java is easy. VB2005 claims to be object oriented, but I find the syntax less clear than C++/C#.
COBOL - True there's probably more COBOL code out there, but new developments are few and far between, it's mostly fixes & enhancements.

Answer 6

It depends on the markets you're going after.

You really can't go wrong learning c#

Though, I believe having a good understanding of PHP/Javascript/SQL/CSS/HTML is pretty comercially viable as well. Purists will debate the "programming language" title.

Answer 7

C++ is good but you need be familiar with the 4 generation language , procedure-oriented language, unified modeling language, object-oriented language nonprocedural language then you can come up with the one that suits your abilities the best.

Answer 8

.net with knowlege of windows
and
perl with knowledge of unix

Answer 9

since the actual majority of computing in the world occurs on ibm mainframe computers, i would say ibm mainframe language

Answer 10

C or pascal try learning a couple